Metadata Capture for Screen Sharing
A method for metadata capture for screen sharing of a graphical user interface (GUI) screen includes determining by a screen share sending module a region of the GUI screen to be shared; analyzing the GUI screen by a metadata capture module to determine metadata relevant to the region to be shared; and sending a screen share of the region comprising the relevant metadata to a receiver by the screen share sending module.
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This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 12/707,025 filed on Feb. 17, 2010.
BACKGROUNDThis disclosure relates generally to the field of screen sharing during online communication.
Screen sharing may be used to communicate information from a user's (or sender) graphical user interface (GUI) screen in, for example, an online chat or web conference. The screen share may comprise an image of the user's GUI screen that is sent to a receiver. The GUI screen may comprise metadata, including but not limited to confidentiality information, audit trail information, text, table cell color, a uniform resource locator (URL) link, a search query, or a persistent session ID. The metadata is not captured in the screen share image; for example, metadata such as selectable text or clickable URL links may be lost. The metadata must be captured and shared separately.
Different types of metadata require different capturing methods. For example, text may be highlighted and copied, table cell color may be extracted from HTML code, a search query may be copied from a search textbox, a URL link may be right clicked, and “Copy Link Location” selected, a screen capture of a bitmap may be extracted by pushing the printscreen key, or a session ID may be invisible, with no available extraction method. A sender of a screen share may not be able to extract more than one of type of metadata at a time. The receiver may determine some metadata via post processing and analysis of received screen share image, using, for example, optical character recognition (OCR) or lexicographic analysis. However, such analysis does not capture all types of metadata that are present in the sender's GUI screen at the time of the screen share, and may perform inefficiently or inaccurately. Therefore, in an instant messaging scenario, the sender may need to copy and paste the metadata information separately and manually to the receiving party, which limits the usefulness of the screen share. In a web conference scenario, the meeting host may not be able to copy and paste metadata without interrupting the realtime nature of the web conference.
SUMMARYAn exemplary embodiment of a method for metadata capture for screen sharing of a graphical user interface (GUI) screen includes determining by a screen share sending module a region of the GUI screen to be shared; analyzing the GUI screen by a metadata capture module to determine metadata relevant to the region to be shared; and sending a screen share of the region comprising the relevant metadata to a receiver by the screen share sending module.
Additional features are realized through the techniques of the present exemplary embodiment. Other embodiments are described in detail herein and are considered a part of what is claimed. For a better understanding of the features of the exemplary embodiment, refer to the description and to the drawings.
Referring now to the drawings wherein like elements are numbered alike in the several FIGURES:
Embodiments of methods for metadata capture for screen sharing are provided, with exemplary embodiments being discussed below in detail.
Capture of metadata may be performed automatically in a screen share of a GUI screen, rather than through manual copying and pasting by the sender. The sender may select a region within the GUI screen for which metadata is to be extracted, or the sender may select the entire GUI screen. Once a region of the screen is selected, object recognition technology is applied to the selected region, and to objects outside of the selected region that are relevant to the selected region, to recognize and capture the metadata. Some or all of the captured metadata may be sent to a receiver along with the screen share, according to the sender's preferences. The metadata may be rendered in the receiver's system as HTML, an image map, native object, or any other desired format. The captured metadata is ready for use by the receiver, without the need for additional processing. Metadata may be captured across traditional boundaries, such as windows, frames, images or tables, and from outside of the designated metadata capture region. The metadata may be captured and shared in a real-time, collaborative environment, to enhance and simplify collaboration and information sharing.
Metadata may include but is not limited to authorship information, confidentiality information, audit trail information, table cell color, a persistent session ID, text (including characteristics such as content, font size, or line spacing), window information such as title or whether the window is minimized/maximized, or any other application specific information, such as a search string URL for a browser application. Shared metadata may be re-rendered in the most appropriate format with respect to the application from which the metadata is extracted. For example, captured metadata may be presented to appear as if it is on its native application. Application specific support for application windows in the screen share may be provided through application specific plugins. For example, when sharing a Power Point® presentation or Microsoft Office® document, metadata such as author or last modified date may be shared. When sharing a browser window, a mechanism may be used that that introspects the HTML document described by a standard format such as document object model (DOM). When sharing a webpage with persistence and shareable sessions, the URL to access the session may also be sent as metadata.
Metadata capture module 104 may implement any appropriate GUI object navigation technology to determine properties such as location, size, content, and visibility of objects in the GUI screen 102. By determining each object's coordinates in the GUI screen, metadata capture module 104 may determine if an object is within the selected region, partially within the region, or relevant to the selected region. The metadata capture module 104 may then capture metadata from objects determined to be within or relevant to the selected region. Metadata capture module 104 may implement technology including but not limited to object map from the .NET framework, Rational Function Tester, Spy++, Public Application Programming Interface (API), Microsoft Foundation Class (MFC), or SpyLib in some embodiments.
Metadata may be captured from any portion of the GUI screen 102 that is determined to be relevant to the region of the GUI screen that is selected in block 201.
The sender may designate preferences regarding the type and amount of metadata from selected region 305 to share. This may be accomplished via a sender interface such as is shown in
Referring again to
The following code segment shows an embodiment an embodiment of computer code that may be embodied in metadata capture module 104 to capture metadata for a button in a selected region:
The above code segments are shown for illustrative purposes only; metadata capture module 104 may implement any appropriate metadata recognition technology.
The computer 600 includes, but is not limited to, PCs, workstations, laptops, PDAs, palm devices, servers, storages, and the like. Generally, in terms of hardware architecture, the computer 600 may include one or more processors 610, memory 620, and one or more input and/or output (I/O) devices 670 that are communicatively coupled via a local interface (not shown). The local interface can be, for example but not limited to, one or more buses or other wired or wireless connections, as is known in the art. The local interface may have additional elements, such as controllers, buffers (caches), drivers, repeaters, and receivers, to enable communications. Further, the local interface may include address, control, and/or data connections to enable appropriate communications among the aforementioned components.
The processor 610 is a hardware device for executing software that can be stored in the memory 620. The processor 610 can be virtually any custom made or commercially available processor, a central processing unit (CPU), a digital signal processor (DSP), or an auxiliary processor among several processors associated with the computer 600, and the processor 610 may be a semiconductor based microprocessor (in the form of a microchip) or a macroprocessor.
The memory 620 can include any one or combination of volatile memory elements (e.g., random access memory (RAM), such as dynamic random access memory (DRAM), static random access memory (SRAM), etc.) and nonvolatile memory elements (e.g., ROM, erasable programmable read only memory (EPROM), electronically erasable programmable read only memory (EEPROM), programmable read only memory (PROM), tape, compact disc read only memory (CD-ROM), disk, diskette, cartridge, cassette or the like, etc.). Moreover, the memory 620 may incorporate electronic, magnetic, optical, and/or other types of storage media. Note that the memory 620 can have a distributed architecture, where various components are situated remote from one another, but can be accessed by the processor 610.
The software in the memory 620 may include one or more separate programs, each of which comprises an ordered listing of executable instructions for implementing logical functions. The software in the memory 620 includes a suitable operating system (O/S) 650, compiler 640, source code 630, and one or more applications 660 in accordance with exemplary embodiments. As illustrated, the application 660 comprises numerous functional components for implementing the features and operations of the exemplary embodiments. The application 660 of the computer 600 may represent various applications, computational units, logic, functional units, processes, operations, virtual entities, and/or modules in accordance with exemplary embodiments, but the application 660 is not meant to be a limitation.
The operating system 650 controls the execution of other computer programs, and provides scheduling, input-output control, file and data management, memory management, and communication control and related services. It is contemplated by the inventors that the application 660 for implementing exemplary embodiments may be applicable on all commercially available operating systems.
Application 660 may be a source program, executable program (object code), script, or any other entity comprising a set of instructions to be performed. When a source program, then the program is usually translated via a compiler (such as the compiler 640), assembler, interpreter, or the like, which may or may not be included within the memory 620, so as to operate properly in connection with the O/S 650. Furthermore, the application 660 can be written as an object oriented programming language, which has classes of data and methods, or a procedure programming language, which has routines, subroutines, and/or functions, for example but not limited to, C, C++, C#, Pascal, BASIC, API calls, HTML, XHTML, XML, ASP scripts, FORTRAN, COBOL, Perl, Java, ADA, .NET, and the like.
The I/O devices 670 may include input devices such as, for example but not limited to, a mouse, keyboard, scanner, microphone, camera, etc. Furthermore, the I/O devices 670 may also include output devices, for example but not limited to a printer, display, etc. Finally, the I/O devices 670 may further include devices that communicate both inputs and outputs, for instance but not limited to, a NIC or modulator/demodulator (for accessing remote devices, other files, devices, systems, or a network), a radio frequency (RF) or other transceiver, a telephonic interface, a bridge, a router, etc. The I/O devices 670 also include components for communicating over various networks, such as the Internet or intranet.
If the computer 600 is a PC, workstation, intelligent device or the like, the software in the memory 620 may further include a basic input output system (BIOS) (omitted for simplicity). The BIOS is a set of essential software routines that initialize and test hardware at startup, start the O/S 650, and support the transfer of data among the hardware devices. The BIOS is stored in some type of read-only-memory, such as ROM, PROM, EPROM, EEPROM or the like, so that the BIOS can be executed when the computer 600 is activated.
When the computer 600 is in operation, the processor 610 is configured to execute software stored within the memory 620, to communicate data to and from the memory 620, and to generally control operations of the computer 600 pursuant to the software. The application 660 and the O/S 650 are read, in whole or in part, by the processor 610, perhaps buffered within the processor 610, and then executed.
When the application 660 is implemented in software it should be noted that the application 660 can be stored on virtually any computer readable medium for use by or in connection with any computer related system or method. In the context of this document, a computer readable medium may be an electronic, magnetic, optical, or other physical device or means that can contain or store a computer program for use by or in connection with a computer related system or method.
The application 660 can be embodied in any computer-readable medium for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device, such as a computer-based system, processor-containing system, or other system that can fetch the instructions from the instruction execution system, apparatus, or device and execute the instructions. In the context of this document, a “computer-readable medium” can be any means that can store, communicate, propagate, or transport the program for use by or in connection with the instruction execution system, apparatus, or device. The computer readable medium can be, for example but not limited to, an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, device, or propagation medium.
More specific examples (a nonexhaustive list) of the computer-readable medium may include the following: an electrical connection (electronic) having one or more wires, a portable computer diskette (magnetic or optical), a random access memory (RAM) (electronic), a read-only memory (ROM) (electronic), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM, EEPROM, or Flash memory) (electronic), an optical fiber (optical), and a portable compact disc memory (CDROM, CD R/W) (optical). Note that the computer-readable medium could even be paper or another suitable medium, upon which the program is printed or punched, as the program can be electronically captured, via for instance optical scanning of the paper or other medium, then compiled, interpreted or otherwise processed in a suitable manner if necessary, and then stored in a computer memory.
In exemplary embodiments, where the application 660 is implemented in hardware, the application 660 can be implemented with any one or a combination of the following technologies, which are well known in the art: a discrete logic circuit(s) having logic gates for implementing logic functions upon data signals, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) having appropriate combinational logic gates, a programmable gate array(s) (PGA), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), etc.
The technical effects and benefits of exemplary embodiments include automatic sending of metadata information in a screen sharing application without interrupting real-time communication.
The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. As used herein, the singular forms “a”, “an”, and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises” and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.
The corresponding structures, materials, acts, and equivalents of all means or step plus function elements in the claims below are intended to include any structure, material, or act for performing the function in combination with other claimed elements as specifically claimed. The description of the present invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description, but is not intended to be exhaustive or limited to the invention in the form disclosed. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. The embodiment was chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention and the practical application, and to enable others of ordinary skill in the art to understand the invention for various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated.
Claims
1. A method for metadata capture for screen sharing of a graphical user interface (GUI) screen, the method comprising:
- determining by a screen share sending module a region of the GUI screen to be shared;
- analyzing the GUI screen by a metadata capture module to determine metadata relevant to the region to be shared; and
- sending a screen share of the region comprising the relevant metadata to a receiver by the screen share sending module.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein the metadata relevant to the region is located outside of the region.
3. The method of claim 2, wherein the metadata relevant to the region is located outside of a visible region of the GUI screen.
4. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving the screen share of the region comprising the relevant metadata by a screen share receiving module, wherein the received screen share comprises the relevant metadata in the same format in which it is presented in the GUI screen.
5. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying a list of the relevant metadata to a sender of the screen share, receiving a selection of a piece of the relevant metadata from the sender, and sending the screen share of the region with selected metadata.
6. The method of claim 1, further comprising applying a set of stored preferences to the relevant metadata, and sending the screen share of the region with metadata designated by the set of stored preferences.
7. The method of claim 1, wherein the relevant metadata comprises authorship of a document, confidentiality information, audit trail information, table cell color, a persistent session ID, text content, text font size, text line spacing, window title, whether a window is minimized or maximized, or a search string.
8. The method of claim 1, wherein the screen share is sent as part of a web conference or chat session.
Type: Application
Filed: Apr 23, 2012
Publication Date: Aug 9, 2012
Patent Grant number: 9021367
Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION (Armonk, NY)
Inventors: Yuk Chan (Poughkeepsie, NY), Tin H. To (Poughkeepsie, NY), Andrew Tsang (Poughkeepsie, NY), Wei Zhou (Poughkeepsie, NY)
Application Number: 13/453,009
International Classification: G06F 15/16 (20060101);